


Been Talking 'Bout the Way Things Change

by allmylovesatonce



Category: Brooklyn Nine-Nine (TV)
Genre: Angst with a Happy Ending, Gen, Post-Finale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-29
Updated: 2017-05-29
Packaged: 2018-11-06 04:33:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 13,113
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11028726
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/allmylovesatonce/pseuds/allmylovesatonce
Summary: After Jake and Rosa end up in jail, Amy finds herself on a mission to set them free. She'll stop at nothing until they're released.





	Been Talking 'Bout the Way Things Change

**Author's Note:**

> So who felt traumatized after that finale? *raises hand*  
> It drove me to write this. I hope you enjoy it!

How does one readjust when their life is turned upside down? Amy Santiago had spent the past month pondering that very question. She couldn’t wait a full week before she went to see Jake in prison. Amy had repeated her promise to fight for him and to wait for him. They’d both cried, wishing more than anything that it was just a bad dream.

But it wasn’t just a bad dream. Jake and Rosa were actually in jail. And Amy was in hell because of it. It took a month for her to get her head on straight. It took 30 Jake-less nights for Amy to realize that there wasn’t any more time to waste. It took 30 days of not being able to talk to Rosa at the drop of a hat for Amy to realize she needed a plan. It was one month to the day that Amy snapped out of it.

It all started with the mail cart being pushed noisily around the bullpen. Amy was trying to focus on her work but couldn’t drown out the annoying sound of the cart. Everything lately had put Amy on edge. Every time she’d look up from her desk, the pain resurfaced. So Amy kept her head down, trying to finish her report while ignoring the loud noise of the cart. She was so focused on her report that she didn’t notice the letter placed on her desk. It wasn’t until Amy realized she couldn’t hear the mail cart anymore that she spotted the letter on her desk. Noting the sender, she hesitantly picked it up and opened it. Slowly she pulled out the paper inside, reading the letter addressed to her. She couldn’t believe the timing. Amy sat there staring at it, surely a miserable look on her face. Nothing pulled her from her stupor until Gina sat down in her perp chair.

“What’s wrong?” Gina asked, a hesitance in her voice.

Amy shook her head disbelievingly. “I got my test results back today from my sergeant’s exam.”

“Just now? Hasn’t it been like three months since you took that?”

Amy nodded more at the paper than at Gina. “They said sometimes it takes a while.” She offered no more information.

“So…” Gina prodded. Amy finally looked over a Gina. She noted Gina’s eyes narrowing in concern. “What? Did you not pass? I thought you left there feeling confident.”

Amy sighed. “I passed.”

Gina huffed. “Oh my God, why are you this upset then?”

Amy finally set the paper down on her desk, putting her face in her hands. She could feel the tears coming but she didn’t want to cry at work. Not again. After a minute she picked up her head and looked at Gina, hoping her emotions were under control. “I fled that day because I was worried me getting a promotion would be bad for my relationship with Jake. And he tracked me down and found me and promised me that everything would be alright. He was so proud of me. And now I finally found out I passed. I finally know I’m going to actually be a sergeant and Jake’s in jail for a crime he didn’t commit. I mean what the hell? This isn’t fair.” Amy’s eyes betrayed her and allowed tears to fall. She swept them away quickly.

Gina leaned forward and placed a hand on Amy’s wrist. “Amy,” she said gently. She was speaking softer than Amy had ever heard her speak. “I know it’s not fair, but you still earned this. And Jake is going to be proud of you whether he’s behind bars or not.”

Amy scoffed. “I’m not gonna tell him.”

“Amy,” Gina chided.

Amy stood her ground. “It’s not fair to him. I try to further my career and I get a promotion. Jake tries to further his career and he comes across a dirty cop who frames him and gets him put in prison. How am I supposed to tell him?”

Gina sighed. “Jake loves you. He’s gonna be happy for you whether or not he’s in jail.” Amy closed her eyes and shook her head. “If nothing else, it might make you feel better to see him. Why don’t you go there?”

Amy felt unsure. She shrugged, wanting to think things through. “Maybe,” she conceded, hoping Gina would take the hint and walk back to her desk. Sure enough, Gina got up and walked away from Amy.

She sat there thinking, wondering how things could go so wrong. Did she even want to rise through the ranks if the ranks held dirty, vindictive cops who punished the people who were actually decent? There were plenty of bad cops, the ones who don’t respect the badge or who used it to their advantage. There were plenty of cops like the one who racially profiled Terry. How was it that two actually good cops were subjected to this? More than Amy wanted to be a sergeant, she wanted justice. Suddenly her mind started racing. Before she knew it, she was taking her lunch break and rushing from the precinct to follow her urge before her mind got the better of her.

She arrived at her location, wondering if she’d lost her mind. She pulled out her phone to text one of her friends for their opinion. The lock screen showed Jake and Amy smiling up at her. Looking at the unrepentant joy on Jake’s face propelled Amy further into the building. He deserved to be happy again. Rosa did too. When Amy found the right office, she knocked nervously on the door.

“Amy?” Sophia Perez asked, shock clearly written on her face. “Wow, it’s been a long time.”

Amy stepped further into her office. “Yeah, it has.”

“What brings you by?” Sophia asked. “Is it about the LIL meetings?”

“What?” Amy asked, not fully paying attention. “No, it’s not about the Latinas in Law meetings. I’ll get back there eventually.” Amy straightened up and hoped she carried an air of confidence. “I’m here because I assume you’re a well-connected person who stays in touch with the news and all that. And if that’s the case, which I highly suspect it is, then you’ll already know that one month ago Jake Peralta and Rosa Diaz were put in prison for robbing a bank.”

Sophia’s face dropped. She nodded solemnly. “Yeah, I saw that.”

“They didn’t do it,” Amy assured her. Sophia looked at her doubtfully. “I mean it. They didn’t. They were framed by a dirty cop who they were trying to bring down. She was two steps ahead of them at every turn and she got them convicted. You have to believe me.”

“Amy, it seems like a lot,” Sophia replied.

Amy sat down in one of the chairs in front of Sophia’s desk. “Do you know why I came to you? I know plenty of other defense attorneys I could have asked to conduct this appeal but I came to you. Do you know why that is?” Sophia shrugged, urging Amy to answer her own question. “The human factor,” Amy answered. “All the other attorneys just see Jake and Rosa as those jerk cops they go up against in court. But you know them. Rosa would sometimes go to the LIL meetings. You know how seriously she takes her job. And you know Jake. Or at least knew him. You know he wouldn’t do something like this. For crying out loud, you broke up with him because he insisted on doing his job. This isn’t something they’d do.”

Sophia sat straighter in her chair, scrutinizing Amy. “The human factor, huh?” Amy nodded. “I’ll admit, I was shocked when I saw that on the news.” She leaned forward. “So what do you want from me?”

Amy almost laughed. “I want you to conduct their appeal. Was that not clear?”

Sophia drummed her fingers against her desk. “You know that’s a lot to ask, right. Appeals can be hard and are never a guarantee.”

“I know,” Amy asserted.

“Are you sure you want to do this?”

Amy nodded vehemently. “They’re innocent. They were set up and they don’t deserve to be in jail.” Amy sat forward in her chair, mirroring Sophia. “I’ll give you whatever you want. I also have control of Jake’s account and though it may be sparse, it’s there.” Sophia narrowed her eyes like she was thinking. “I’ll tell you this though,” Amy continued. “It would be damn good PR. When do defense attorneys get good PR? Freeing innocent people though? That’s good stuff. You could be the one to set a wrongly incarcerated Latina officer free.” Sophia raised one eyebrow. Amy nodded with a smile, knowing her manipulation was working.

“You’re good, Santiago,” Sophia said with a smirk. Amy shrugged. “It’s gonna take a lot. You need to tell me everything about this case before I begin to even consider taking it on.”

“I can do that,” Amy assured. “It all started when Jake and Rosa crossed paths with Lieutenant Melanie Hawkins.”

“Wait, it was Hawkins?” Sophia asked. Amy nodded. “Oh God, I would love to take her down. She’s the worst.”

“I’d have to agree,” Amy laughed. It was the first time in a long time she’d genuinely laughed. Amy proceeded to tell Sophia everything about the case down to the money from Flaxton Hills that was never presented in court.

“What do you mean it was never presented in court?”

“They came down with the verdict before Terry or Charles could get back. So they never heard that the money came from an outside shell corporation. We just knew that Langdon was working with Hawkins but it was too late when we realized,” Amy explained. “So many people lied on the stand. It was honestly ridiculous. And I know there’s no way to make someone admit that they perjured themselves, but honestly, it’s ridiculous.”

Sophia looked deep in thought for a moment. “Do you have a file or something you’re collecting for the evidence?”

Amy nodded. “Not with me, but I can get it.”

Sophia let the information sink in. “Okay. Before I officially decide to take this on, I need to talk to Rosa and Jake.” Sophia leaned forward, making sure she held eye contact with Amy. “And before you officially start this appeal, you need to know that this could come down on you. This is a lot of police politics, Amy.”

Amy took a deep breath and nodded. “I know. It’s fine. Maybe I don’t want to work for a system that puts innocent people behind bars.”

“Okay,” Sophia replied, an impressed look on her face. “I’d like you to come with me when I meet with them. Can you do that?” Amy nodded. “You got anything you need to do the rest of the day? I can go now.”

Amy was flustered but agreed. “I’ll have someone cover for me.” Amy pulled out her phone and wrote out a short text to Charles begging him to cover for her. She mentioned something about being too emotional and he took the bait. She’d loop everyone in later, once things were in place. “I’ll meet you there,” Amy offered as Sophia cleared her schedule.

“Great,” Sophia replied. “Just one question though before we go,” she asked, stopping Amy in her tracks. Amy nodded for her to go on. A smile grew on Sophia’s face. “How long have you and Jake been together?”

Amy blushed, looking down at her feet. “Is it that obvious?” Sophia nodded with a grin. Amy laughed halfheartedly. “It’s been two years.”

Sophia looked impressed again. “Good for you,” she said earnestly. “Now let’s go.”

**

It had been ten days since Amy had seen Jake. She felt guilty that it had been so long, but she really couldn’t go every day. The prison probably wouldn’t even let her if she tried. She was happy she could still see Jake, but always devastated at the circumstances. Amy was sitting on her side of the glass, a sad smile gracing her face as Jake sat down on his side.

They both picked up their phones. “Ames,” Jake said softly, a sigh of relief echoing through it.

“Hi,” she replied sadly. “How are you? Are you hurt?”

“I’m fine,” he said simply. Amy gave him a knowing look. “I really am. I’m keeping my head down and staying out of trouble, I promise.”

“You better be,” she reminded him.

He started to smirk which made Amy feel slightly relieved. Jake looked just past Amy and she could tell when he spotted her companion. “Umm, Amy, are you here with my ex-girlfriend?”

Amy turned around and looked at Sophia before looking back at Jake. “I’m not here with your ex-girlfriend,” Amy coyly replied. Jake looked slightly relieved. “I’m here with your new lawyer.”

“What now?” Jake asked, his head snapping forward toward the glass.

“I started the appeal process,” Amy explained.

“So you hired _Sophia_?” Jake questioned.

“She knows you. What other attorney is going to see you as more than just some jerk cop?” Amy defended.

Jake looked like he was thinking things through. “I guess that’s a good point.”

“Look, I told you that I’d keep fighting for you and that’s what I’m doing,” Amy assured him.

“That means everything to me,” Jake replied, a small smile on his face.

“Look, I am gonna turn over the phone to Sophia because she wants to talk to you before she actually takes on the case,” Amy explained. She took a deep breath. “But there’s one more thing I want to tell you.” Jake nodded, urging her to continue. “I feel guilty talking about it.”

Jake gave her a knowing look. “Ames.”

She nodded, knowing exactly what he meant. “I finally got my results back from my sergeant’s exam.”  

“Oh my God. And?” Jake asked insistently.

Amy smiled sadly. “I passed,” she said quietly.

“Yes!” Jake cheered, whooping until a guard told him to quiet down. Jake looked at Amy with a guilty grin. “Oops. But I don’t care. I’m so proud of you, Babe. I never doubted it.” Amy was so touched. “Wait, why did you feel guilty telling me?”

Amy looked at him with a blank stare. “Are you serious? I didn’t exactly want to brag about a promotion right now.”

“Amy, you know I’d be happy for you no matter what. I love you,” he reminded her.

Amy did the most cliché thing and held her hand up to the glass. “I love you too,” she replied as he laid his hand over hers. “Okay,” she said, removing her hand, “I should let you talk to your lawyer. The sooner we get  you out of here, the better.”

Jake nodded. “Hey, Ames?” She turned back toward the glass. “Thanks for still fighting for me.”

Amy smiled at him sadly. “Like you wouldn’t do the same damn thing.” She stood up to let Sophia speak with Jake.

“Sophia, long time no see,” Amy heard Jake say.

Sophia quickly got down to business, wanting to know everything from Jake’s perspective. Amy pulled out her phone and walked out of the room. Clicking on Terry’s name, she put her phone to her ear.

“Hello?”

“Terry, it’s Amy,” she replied. “I need your help.”

“What do you need?” Terry asked.

“I need you to make a copy of the file of all our evidence and bring it to me,” Amy explained.

“Where are you?”

“Well in about an hour, I’ll be with Rosa. Bring it there. Make sure you have a copy of everything.”

“Amy, what are you doing?” Terry questioned.

Amy looked back at Jake and Sophia talking. “I’ll explain it when I see you. Please just do this for me.”

There was a long pause on the phone. “Okay. I’ll see you in an hour.”

Amy and Sophia both bid goodbye to Jake, no matter how hard it was for Amy to leave. They drove to the women’s prison to start the process over with Rosa. Sophia took a call as they waited outside the prison for Terry to arrive. He pulled up and jumped out of his car, moving quickly toward Amy.

“I have it. Care to explain what’s going on now?” He asked.

Sophia hung up her phone and walked back to Amy and Terry. Amy gestured to her. “I started the appeal process. We need the evidence.”

“Hi there,” Sophia said to Terry.

He looked at her with disbelief. “Hold up,” he replied to Amy, “You hired Jake’s ex-girlfriend to represent him in court?”

Amy nodded insistently. “Yep. And he’s fine with it.” Terry gave her a doubting look. “So do you want to help me get our friends out of prison or do you just want to stand there doubting me?”

Terry’s jaw dropped open some. He quickly closed his mouth and nodded to her. “I’ll help you.”

“Great!” Amy said, taking the evidence from Terry and handing it to Sophia. “Now let’s go see Rosa.”

Explaining everything to Rosa went pretty easily. She didn’t seem overly hopeful about an appeal. Amy felt bad seeing Rosa in such awful spirits. Of course, Jake was always the optimistic one during the trial. She told Sophia everything she could. It pretty much matched Jake’s statement.

As they left the prison, Sophia turned to Amy and Terry. “I’m gonna look through the file you gave me, but based on their statements, there’s got to be a hole somewhere. No one is that good,” she comforted. “I’ll tell you the same thing I told Rosa and Jake though, an appeal is a slow process and it is far from a guarantee.” Amy and Terry nodded solemnly. “I’m going to do my best because I believe that they’re innocent. You were right, Amy, it helps to know them. I can tell how shaken they are. What I need you guys to do is to keep investigating. See if you can find anything incriminating on Hawkins. It doesn’t have to be related to this particular case. Anything that will make her look shady will help us.” Amy and Terry nodded again. “Keep me posted on anything you find. I’ll do the same. But, I’m officially taking the case.”

Amy stepped forward, wrapping Sophia in a hug. “Thank you, Sophia. Truly.”

“You can thank me when I get them out,” Sophia replied grimly.

Amy and Terry stood silently and watched as Sophia got in her car and pulled away from the prison. Once she was gone, Terry turned to Amy. “I cannot _believe_ that is who you hired for this case!” he exclaimed.

Amy threw up her hands in defense. “What? She’s a good lawyer and she knows them.”

“Still,” Terry maintained.

“I stand by my decision. We need to get Jake and Rosa out of prison,” Amy insisted. “Get on board or leave your friends to rot.”

“Damn, Santiago,” Terry cried. “I’m on board.”

“Good,” Amy said with a smile before turning and walking to her car.

**

The next morning, Amy felt more optimistic. Sure, the appeal wasn’t a slam dunk, but she at least was fighting. Amy was so focused on the appeal and what she needed to do that she didn’t even notice the person sitting in a desk that wasn’t theirs. Amy sat down at her desk and looked up, startled to see someone there. “Umm, hi. Who are you?”

“Detective Tim Michaels, I just got transferred to the Nine-Nine,” he informed her.

Amy’s stomach sank. She didn’t like seeing someone else in Jake’s desk. That was _Jake’s_ desk. She looked over her shoulder and sure enough, another man was sitting in Rosa’s desk. Rosa would hate that a man replaced her on the force. Amy missed the solidarity of having another woman in the precinct with her. Amy briefly made eye contact with Charles. He looked about as miserable as she did.

“Santiago, Boyle, may I see you both in my office?” Holt requested. Amy and Charles both stood and walked to the captain’s office, closing the door behind them. “I’m sure meeting the new members of the squad is jarring. But it’s been a month, I couldn’t hold off on replacing them forever.” Amy opened her mouth but Holt spoke over her. “I, too, hope it won’t be an actual replacement,” he reassured her, “but you two and Scully and Hitchcock can’t hold down the force until we figure out how to free Peralta and Diaz. I had to bring in new detectives.”

Amy and Charles nodded solemnly. “We understand, Sir,” Charles replied.

“Try to be as welcoming as possible.”

“We will try, Sir,” Amy affirmed.

“Thank you. That will be all,” Holt said, dismissing them.

Amy was trying her best to be welcoming, but she hit her breaking point around lunch. She was sitting in the break room eating her lunch with Charles. Terry was getting more coffee. The two new detectives wandered in and started chatting with them. Everything was going fine until Michaels said something stupid.

“Yeah, we’re excited to be here. I know I’ve heard great things about the Nine-Nine,” he said happily. They all smiled at him kindly. “And don’t worry, I’m not a dirty cop,” he added with a laugh. Troy Peters, the other new detective, laughed for a second before he noted their faces.

Amy balled her hand into a fist, trying to quell her anger. Every muscle in her body was tense. She could feel Charles tensing up next to her. They were easily seconds from exploding when Terry stepped in. “I’ll set this straight right now. They were good detectives. They were trying to bring down a dirty cop and they got framed and put in prison. And in this room are their best friends and one of their girlfriends. So you’d be best to never mention them again unless it is in a form of respect,” Terry clarified with an air of intimidation. “You got it?”

Both men looked terrified of Terry. “Yes, Sir.” Peters bowed his head and walked back to his desk. Michaels just stood there staring at them for a minute longer before walking out of the break room.

“Thanks for taking that one, Terry,” Charles finally spoke, “I was about ready to cream them.” Amy just shook her head in fury.

Captain Holt walked in, looking at the three of them curiously. Gina followed him closely. “Why did our two new detectives just leave this room with startled looks on their faces?” Holt asked.

“Sir, they insulted Rosa and Jake,” Charles informed him. “Terry very kindly set them straight on how we feel about their situation.”

“However, if you don’t know Terry, everything he says is intimidating,” Amy added. “He was very restrained as he spoke. Especially given how Charles and I were about ready to beat them.”

“I know that we know the truth of the Peralta/Diaz situation,” Holt commented, “But not everyone does. And not everyone will understand. We’re going to have to get used to that.”

Holt was turning to leave the break room when Amy stopped him. “Sir, wait!” Holt turned back around. All eyes were on Amy. “I have something I’d like to share with the group but the precinct is not the place for it,” Amy explained.

“Oh my God,” Gina gasped. “Are you pregnant too?”

Amy stared at Gina, baffled by her suggestion. “Not at all.” Gina shrugged. “But I need to talk to the squad, well what’s left of the _old_ squad, about this. Where should we meet?”

Holt looked thoughtful for a moment. “We can all meet at my home this evening. That should be a safe place.”

“Great!” Amy replied. “Thank you.”

At the end of the shift, they all found their way to Captain Holt’s home. Amy was too focused to even care that she was at Holt’s house again. They were all sitting in his study when Kevin came in to offer them refreshments. He left a bowl of pretzels on the table for them. Everyone turned to Amy once they were settled. She figured she should start talking since she was the reason everyone was gathered there.

“Okay,” she started nervously, standing up in front of them. “The reason I asked us all to meet up is because I have something to share with you. Terry is the only one who knows this.”

“Are you pregnant?” Hitchcock asked.

“Oh my God, no! And could everyone stop asking that,” Amy huffed. She took a deep breath to center herself. “I started the appeal process for Jake and Rosa.”

“You did?” Charles asked, a look of hope in his eyes.

“Yeah,” Amy confirmed. “I know we were taking time and gathering evidence and getting our heads on straight, but we can’t waste time and leave them in prison. They’re two cops behind bars. The longer they’re there, the higher the likelihood of one or both of them getting hurt. How bad would we feel if we took time to gather ourselves so we felt prepared to fight and in that time one of them was…” Amy trailed off, unable to voice her fear.

“Thank you, Santiago,” Holt said, interrupting the heavy silence that had fallen over the room. “As much as I would have liked to immediately start the appeal, as a police captain, I don’t know that I would be in a place to do so.”

Amy nodded. “I didn’t start the appeal as a detective, I started it as Rosa’s friend. As Jake’s girlfriend. That’s what I informed their lawyer as well.”

Terry chuckled. “And out of curiosity, Amy, who is their lawyer again?”

Amy glared at Terry. “Really? You can’t just let it go?” Terry grinned. Amy rolled her eyes. “Fine, I hired Sophia Perez to represent them.”

“Wait, what?” Gina exclaimed.

“You hired _who_?” Charles yelled.

“Yeah, I hired Jake’s ex-girlfriend. Whatever,” Amy answered, annoyed by their outrage. “Look, I am his girlfriend and if I’m fine with it, you guys should be too.”

Based on their faces, they seemed to think that was a reasonable suggestion. “So what can we do to help?” Charles asked after a brief silence.

“Any more evidence we could find against Hawkins is going to be helpful. We already have the location of where the money came from before it went into their accounts. But we want as much as we can gather,” Amy informed.

“I can work my administrator connections and see what I can find,” Gina offered. Amy nodded.

“I’m sure this is obvious, but this should be kept under wraps,” Holt advised. “We may know that Jake and Rosa are innocent, but as far as the justice system is concerned, they are guilty. Considering we’re trying to bring someone down within the NYPD, it would be prudent to be discrete about this.” Holt raised his glass in front of him. The rest of the squad followed suit. “Now let’s get our friends out of prison.”  

**

Amy’s confidence about the appeal came in waves. She felt much more confident having the rest of the squad behind her. The evidence may be scant, but they were good detectives. Surely there would be something to find. No one was _that_ good.

Amy got up to make a copy of a form. She was followed into the copy room by Detective Peters. Turning around, she stared at him. “Can I help you?”

He closed the door behind him. “You guys don’t like us, do you?” he asked her.

Amy raised her eyebrows. “Excuse me?”

“I can just tell by the way you all act around us,” Peters insisted.

Amy sighed. “It’s not you guys. It’s the people who used to be where you sit.”

“Peralta and Diaz?”

Amy nodded. “Rosa would never confirm it, but she was probably my best friend. At least on the force she was. We always bonded over being the only women on the force and now _I’m_ the only woman.” Peters nodded solemnly. “And Jake…” Amy started, trailing off. “He and I were partners for years. And we’ve been together for two years. It’s not that we don’t like you guys, it’s that we _loved_ them.”

“And you say they didn’t do it?” He asked.

“They didn’t,” Amy said firmly.

Peters held his hands up in surrender. “I’m not questioning you. I’m just curious. I heard about the case. The evidence seemed pretty damning.”

Amy shook her head miserably. “It was all fake. They framed them. Every move they made, the other side was two steps ahead with fraudulent information.”

“Wow,” Peters said in reply. “That’s terrible.”

“Look, we wouldn’t be so protective of them if they weren’t innocent. But this was a frame job and it was painful to watch,” Amy informed him.

Peters nodded, soaking in the information she’d given him. “Well, if you guys need any help finding the proof, I can help. I’m a good detective.”

Amy smiled at him. “That’s really sweet of you. Thank you.”

He nodded at her politely and left the copy room. As Amy stood there making copies, she wished more than anything that there would actually be evidence to find.

**

It was a few weeks later when Amy sat in a closed off room in the jail with Sophia and Jake. There was a guard standing on the other side of the door and windows to look into the room. Amy was grateful that Sophia brought Amy along to her official lawyer/client meetings.

“Okay, who’s ready for some good news?” Sophia asked cheerily.

“Umm, me, for sure,” Jake replied with a sad chuckle. Amy nodded vehemently beside him.

“We have gathered enough evidence that I feel comfortable filing for an appeal,” Sophia explained.

“So we’re going forward with it?” Jake asked.

“Yes!” Sophia replied with a smile. “There’s a catch though.”

“I’m sorry. A catch?” Amy questioned.

“While we have enough evidence to create reasonable doubt, we _want_ to have enough evidence to place it on Hawkins.”

Jake frowned. “If we’d had that in the first place, I wouldn’t be here.”

Amy grabbed Jake’s hand where it laid on the table. He squeezed hers. “We have where the money came from and that can be traced to her,” Amy reminded.

“It can be traced to someone who once worked for her,” Jake corrected.

“He lied on the stand for her, Jake,” Amy argued.

“Yeah, but unless there’s evidence of that, we’re never going to be able to prove it was perjury.”

“I could testify that it was perjury!” Amy offered. “I was there. I know you didn’t offer him 300 grand to lie.”

Jake looked at Amy with a pitiful expression. “Ames, you’re my girlfriend. I don’t know that a jury would believe you.”

They both looked at Sophia. She grimaced. “It wouldn’t be my first choice to put you on the stand, sadly. Jake’s right, as his girlfriend, your credibility is not great.”

Jake pointed at Sophia almost triumphantly. Amy rolled her eyes.

“Look, Jake, this is my advice to you,” Sophia began, “We have until the appeal starts to collect evidence. Spend your time thinking of any rock that you might not have turned over. Anything you can get on Hawkins will help.” She paused. “Even if it isn’t about this case. If there’s anything to make her look suspicious and capable of a major frame job, there’s a chance that would be enough to help your case.”

Jake nodded thoughtfully. “Well, I’ve got the time to think,” he replied with a dry laugh. Amy just glared at him. “Come on, Ames. I’m not allowed to laugh about this?”

“You can laugh about it when you get out,” Amy informed him.

 “Your squad isn’t gonna stop trying to find evidence to tie this to her,” Sophia reminded. “And I’m going to do my best to swing everything in the right direction. Not to brag, but I have a very high success rate with appeals.”

“You’re allowed to brag right now,” Jake offered.

“We’re doing everything we can. I recommend you do the same,” Sophia advised. “If you think of _anything_ , call Amy. When you’re up for appeal, they’re usually more lenient with phone calls. You can call me or you can call Amy. Either way we’ll get the squad on the case. You and Rosa spent a lot of time in there with her. You might have information that just slipped your mind in the overwhelming situation that was your trial.”

Jake nodded thoughtfully. “I’ll think about it. See what I can think of. I mean she did hella drugs. You could talk to any bartender at the bar we went to. That’s gotta look bad.”

“Yeah, but didn’t you make it seem like you were doing them too?” Amy asked nervously.                                                

Jake grimaced. “Damn it, that’s a good point.”

“Just think on it,” Sophia encouraged. “We’ll all do our best to get you out of here.” She stood up to leave. “I have to make a call before we make our next stop,” Sophia explained, as she excused herself.

Amy turned to Jake once they were alone. “We’re gonna do everything we can, Jake.” He nodded glumly. “How are you holding up?” Amy asked hesitantly.

Jake looked up at her and sighed. “I guess okay, considering the circumstances.”

“And you’re keeping your head down?”

Jake smiled softly at her obvious concern. “As I have always said when you’ve asked, yes I’m keeping my head down. I’m not picking any fights.” Amy nodded approvingly. “I think my plan is to just hang out in the weight yard and just get _jacked_. I’m gonna come out of here looking like a white Terry.”

Amy laughed but wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know how I feel about that. I’ve always liked you the way you are,” she said with a smile as she reached out to pat him. She patted gently him on his side, pulling back immediately when he winced. “Jake?”

His face was still contorted in pain. “Mhmm?” he asked nonchalantly, though he couldn’t make a full voice.

“What the hell was that?”

“What was what?” he asked with a shrug.

Amy looked over toward the door. The guard was still facing away from the door. She quickly leant forward and pulled up the shirt of Jake’s uniform. Bruises were spread all across his abdomen. She gaped in horror. Looking up at him, she noticed his guilty expression. “I thought you said you were keeping your head down,” she asked at barely a whisper.

“I am,” he insisted. “But the fact of the matter is that I’m still a cop in prison.”

Amy felt tears stinging her eyes. She shook her head in anger. “What if we got you transferred somewhere else?”

“Amy,” Jake started. Amy kept talking.

“What if we got you sent to the hospital to treat that? I mean what if there’s internal bleeding?” she wondered aloud.

“Ames,” Jake tried again.

“I mean Jake, this isn’t right. You didn’t do this! You shouldn’t be behind bars getting the crap beaten out of you. You’re an innocent man,” she yelled. She was getting hysterical. She could hear Jake quietly trying to calm her down.

“Shhh,” he whispered, rubbing his hands up and down her arms. “Ames, I’m fine.” He tucked down to make eye contact with her. “I’m a bit sore is all. I promise you I’m fine.”

Tears were streaming down Amy’s face at that point. “But what if next time you’re not?”

Jake grabbed both her hands in his. “I will be. I promise.”

Amy stared at him through her tears. He was looking intently back at her, clearly trying to convey his message. “God, I hate this,” she muttered.

Jake reached out and wiped away her tears. “You’re not alone.”

Amy grabbed his hands in hers. “I promise you, I will get you out of here,” she insisted. “Or I will die trying,” she added with a laugh.

Jake chuckled. “You better not die,” he warned. “Who is gonna want an ex-con who’s still claiming his innocence in 15 years?”

Amy glared at him. “Don’t talk like that.” He nodded solemnly. They held hands silently for a minute longer until Sophia came back in the room. “Be careful,” Amy urged.

He nodded silently, pulling her hands up and kissing them. “I will.” She squeezed his hands quickly before the guard took Jake back to his cell.

Sophia patted Amy on the arm. “You okay?”

Amy nodded halfheartedly. “I guess.” Amy waited till they were out of the jail to fill in Sophia. “They’re beating him. It doesn’t show on his arms or face, nowhere visible. But they’re beating the crap out of him.”

Sophia sighed as she wrapped an arm around Amy. “We’re doing everything we can.”

**

The squad sat around Amy’s apartment, drinking and brainstorming. The appeal had officially been filed and a date had been set. They were on a clock to find any information they were going to find. There was a silence that had filled the apartment for a long time.

Finally Gina spoke. “What if we just murdered Hawkins? We could make it look like a suicide and forge a note that confessed to the framing.”

They all looked at Gina in horror. “Holy crap,” Charles whispered. “That is super dark.”

Amy chuckled. “Yeah, but it kinda made me feel like Rosa was here.” Everyone nodded and smirked for a moment.

“So is that the plan, then?” Gina asked.

“Obviously not,” Holt answered. Silence reigned over them once more.

“Genevieve has gotten really into Prison Break,” Charles mentioned, breaking the silence. “I could tattoo the plans on my body and break Jake out and Amy could tattoo the plans on her body and break Rosa out.”

“And then what?” Terry asked. “The four of you live on the run for the rest of your life?”

“No, I already talked Diaz out of that once,” Holt responded.

“Wait, what?” Amy questioned.

Holt looked down in what Amy suspected was shame. “I wasn’t going to mention it, but I suppose I have.” They all stared at him, prompting him to continue. “Rosa was going to run. She was on a bus to Florida where she was going to catch a plane to meet Adrian in the Andes. I convinced her to stay. I was sure they wouldn’t go to prison. I feel…guilty, I suppose.”

“But her running would be against the law,” Terry reminded him. “At least this way she has a life to come back to.”

“But when?” Charles asked glumly.

“Charles,” Terry chided.

“He’s right,” Amy interrupted. “If this appeal fails, they’re in there for fifteen years. And that’s if they make it the full fifteen.”

“What do you mean?” Charles asked.

“They’re cops behind bars,” Amy stated. She sighed and took a swig of her beer. “Jake’s being beaten,” she confessed.

Charles looked broken. “What do you mean?”

“A while back when I was meeting with him and Sophia, I tapped his side gently and it was enough for him to pull back. So I yanked up his shirt and he was covered in bruises,” Amy reported.

“Did he say something stupid?” Gina asked.

“Did he use the word snackcident?” Holt also asked.

Amy shook her head. “No. He said he was keeping his head down and trying to just coast by but he’s a cop behind bars with a ton of criminals he put there.”

The rest of them looked miserable. “Why didn’t you tell us?” Charles wondered aloud.

Amy shrugged. “It tore me up knowing about it. I didn’t want to put that on you guys too.”

Silence filled the room for a moment before Gina spoke. “Okay, I know this is going to sound terrible, but bear with me.” They all looked at her curiously. “What if Jake actually tried to piss someone off?”

“What would that accomplish?” Holt questioned.

“Well, it seems like now, they’re trying to hide their abuse. They’re being discrete. But if he’s there pissing them off, they’re just gonna haul off and wail on him. And it’ll probably be on his face,” Gina reasoned.

“Sure, but _why_ do we want Jake beaten up?” Terry asked.

Gina smirked deviously. “Imagine having a cop claiming his innocence who looks like a punching bag.” They all stared at her curiously. “I bet someone would take pity on said punching bag. And remember, I know how to read a jury.”

The squad sat there thoughtfully. “Is it terrible that we’re sitting here considering this?” Amy wondered.

“Probably,” Terry admitted.

“Maybe I’ll run it by Sophia before I ask Jake to piss people off,” Amy offered. They all leaned back in their seats and continued drinking, hoping an obvious solution would come to them.

“This sucks,” Terry muttered. They all groaned in agreement.

**

Amy was heading back to the precinct after lunch with Sophia. It was less than a week before the appeal. Sophia said she felt confident about it, but Amy had always been good at spotting liars. They didn’t have enough against Hawkins. As Amy drove, she thought about what her life would look like without Jake. She tried to picture the next fifteen years if he remained behind bars. Amy didn’t like what she saw. She pictured herself as a jaded cop with a hatred for the system. It would be completely justified too. She pictured Jake being beaten to a pulp daily. She’d promised Jake that she would wait for him, and she would, but what would their lives look like if they had to pick up their relationship in fifteen years?

Amy pulled off her route and parked in an empty parking lot by an abandoned warehouse. She screamed as she beat the steering wheel. How was this happening? How could people not see that Jake and Rosa were innocent? How was Amy contemplating what her life would be like if the love of her life was unjustly locked up for fifteen years? The tears came again as Amy continued to scream out her frustrations. She worried she’d lose her voice soon enough. She didn’t care though. Soon her screams turned to sobs as she laid her head against her steering wheel.

Sitting back in her seat, Amy made up her mind. It wasn’t her smartest decision, but she knew what she was doing. She popped into a coffee shop to utilize their wifi for a bit of research. It wasn’t ten minutes before Amy snapped her laptop shut and left the coffee shop. Furiously typing an address into her phone, Amy made her way back to her car. For a moment, she contemplated calling in backup, but then that moment passed.

Amy sat in her parked car for a few hours before she spotted the man she was looking for. He was one of Hawkins’s men. He was one of the ones who helped set Jake and Rosa up. Amy knew it was dangerous to confront him, but she couldn’t take it anymore. He walked into an alley (of course) and Amy left her car in pursuit.

“Hey!” she called when she got close enough. He turned around with a confused look on his face. “I know who you are,” she informed him.

“That’s nice. And who are you?” he asked intimidatingly.

“That’s not of concern for you,” she retorted. “I know that you’re a cop.” She paused, snapping her finger. “Let me rephrase that,” she said, pointing at him. “I know that you’re a dirty cop.”

He glared at her. “Oh do you?”

“Mhmm,” she replied, stepping closer to him. “And I know that almost five months ago you set up two innocent people to take the fall for you. And they’re serving _your_ jail time. They’re taking _your_ beatings while you’re out doing God knows what. Maybe spending the money that you pinned on them? Maybe committing more crimes and pinning them on other innocent people?” she mused. “Or is it possible you’ve had a change of heart and you’re now an upstanding citizen?”

“Anybody ever told you that you need to shut up?” he asked menacingly.

Amy smirked. “My civilian administrator tells me that constantly.”

“Look lady, I don’t know who you think you are, but you need to get lost,” he advised.

“And you need to tell me what I need to know,” Amy retorted. He stared at her. “I’m not interested in you. Only in Hawkins. Give me what I need on her and your name will never be spoken,” Amy explained. “She can be the only one that goes down for the crimes your whole gang committed. You can stay safe. Just give me what I need.”

He almost looked contemplative before his expression morphed into amusement. “Let me guess,” he taunted, “You’re Peralta’s girl.”

Amy was seething. She couldn’t control the rage flowing through her body. She swung her arm back and punched him in his face. He recovered quickly, returning a punch. A fight ensued between them, both of them blocking and landing punches at different times. Amy thought she was gaining ground on him when out of nowhere she felt a blinding pain in her side. She looked down to see blood seeping through her shirt. She clamped her hand down against her wound as she lost her footing and fell to the ground. Holding a knife, he stood over her and kicked her in the stomach.

“That’s why you don’t mess with Hawkins,” he spat before walking away down the alley.

Amy laid there in pain, holding her hand against her wound, praying she was making any kind of difference. She was trying to find where her phone ended up. It was in the pocket that was against the ground. She needed an ambulance. There was no way she could get herself to the hospital. Painfully, she started to shift so she could reach her phone.

Suddenly, a man ran up the alley toward her. “Are you okay?” he asked, looking over her in panic.

“No,” she replied quickly. She reached up and grabbed his hand with her empty one. “Can you help me?”

He nodded vehemently. “Let me call you an ambulance, hon!”

“It’s a stab wound,” she informed him. He nodded silently as the call connected. The man stayed with her until the paramedics came. He told them he had no idea what happened to her but that he found her there. Amy didn’t know if it was true or not. She was fading fast as the blood loss was getting worse. The last thing she remembered was being pushed into the back of the ambulance.

**

Amy woke up slowly, unsure of her surroundings. The telltale beeping of the monitors by her bed informed her that she was in a hospital. When she tried to move, the pain in her side reminded her that she’d been stabbed. Opening her eyes more, she saw two figures by her bed. A second look confirmed that it was Terry and Charles. They moved closer to the bed once they saw her moving.

“How long have you been here?” Amy asked through a dry throat.

“A few hours,” Charles confirmed. “You were taken into surgery at 6:00 last night. At least part of the squad has been here since then.”

Amy tried sitting up but quickly stopped. “How did you guys even know I was here?”

“Your friend Kylie called to see what the hell happened,” Terry explained. “She had no idea why you could have been stabbed. We didn’t either though.” 

Amy grimaced. “Sorry, guys.”

“Amy, what the hell were you thinking?” Terry asked in a soft but stern voice.

“I was thinking about what life would be like if we didn’t win this appeal. And I guess I went a bit crazy,” Amy confessed. “You don’t need to scold me. I already scolded myself enough as I laid in that alley bleeding out.” She sighed deeply. “I can’t do this, guys. I don’t know how to go forward if we lose this again.” Amy could feel tears springing to her eyes again. There was no point in fighting it, she knew they’d fall.

Terry pulled a chair up next to Amy’s bed. He reached out and grabbed Amy’s hand. “Amy, none of us like the idea of them staying in jail. But you have to take care of yourself.” Amy nodded as she stared up at the ceiling. “At the risk of sounding selfish,” Terry continued, “I already lost two of my grown up babies to prison. I can’t lose another one to stupidity.”

Amy laughed before she grimaced at the pain. She turned her head and looked over at Terry. “I’m sorry, Sarge. I’ll do better.”

He smiled and nodded his head. “I know you will.”

“I hate to break it to you, Amy, but I think you might miss the trial,” Charles said weakly.

Amy groaned. “You never know. They might let me out by then.”

Terry and Charles looked at her in disbelief. “Today is Wednesday and it’s tomorrow at 4:00,” Charles reminded her.

“I’m a fast healer, Boyle,” Amy said optimistically. “I’m sure I’ll be fine to go.” They both eyed her doubtfully, but seemed to be wise enough not to fight her.

Throughout the day, the rest of the squad filtered in and out to see her. Even Hitchcock and Scully came by, but Amy figured it was mainly to see what food they were serving her. She was especially nervous when Holt came by to see her. He would be the most likely to scold her and have her really feel it. Surprisingly, he just wished her a safe recovery. Maybe he’s saving the admonishment for when she’s better.

When it turned to evening and everyone went home, that was when Amy truly noticed the hole. Jake wasn’t there. He always knew how to make her feel better. When she was sick or sad, he always knew the right thing to say. It had been that way since before they were dating. He’d only gotten better at it in the two years they’d been a couple. Amy laid in bed, acutely aware of everything she was missing. Knowing that in 24 hours she’d know Jake’s fate was terrifying. She suspected that if it wasn’t for her pain killers, she’d be unable to sleep due to her worrying.

**

Everyone clearly expected her to miss the appeal. Everyone would have been wrong. Amy waited until they’d all left and then she got up and changed into some clothes that Charles had brought her. She was relieved that he actually followed her request. She couldn’t have worn her bloodstained suit to the appeal. A nurse came in as Amy was putting on her blazer. “Again, we really don’t recommend you leaving,” she reminded Amy.

Amy nodded as she looked around for her purse. “I know, but this is something I can’t miss.”

“Well I need you to sign this form that says you’re leaving against medical advice,” the nurse informed her, holding out the clipboard. Amy grabbed it and signed it quickly.

“Thank you,” Amy replied, though she wasn’t sure why. Amy took off from the room, ignoring the twinge in her side when she picked up her pace. She didn’t have the time to think about her stab wound. Amy hailed a cab as she left the hospital.

Almost miraculously, Amy arrived at the courthouse not long after the squad. She’d seen them all walking in as her cab pulled up. Hopefully, they wouldn’t scold her too much for going. She’d already instructed them to not breathe a word of her stabbing to Jake. It was close enough to the trial that they were walking into the courtroom. From afar, Amy could see Jake and Rosa with Sophia. She picked up her pace to catch up to them. Amy was right outside the doors when she had to stop and take a breath. One door was open and she could hear them inside.

“Wait, where’s Amy?” she could hear Jake say. Amy clutched at her injured side, willing herself to move.

“Umm…” she heard Charles say, flustered. “She’s…at the hospital.”

“Damn it, Boyle,” Amy muttered under her breath.

“The hospital?” Jake’s voice rang out. She could hear the panic in his voice. It was enough to make her move.

She walked into the courtroom with faux confidence. Everyone looked over at her with shocked expressions.

“Amy!” Jake cried, a sigh of relief following her name.

“Amy, what are you doing here?” Terry asked.

Amy shrugged. “The nurse let me go.”

“Did the nurse let you go or did you tell the nurse you were leaving?” Gina asked knowingly.

“It was one of those options,” Amy answered.

“What the hell happened that landed you in the hospital?” Jake asked, getting as close to Amy as he could from their side of the railing.

“I may have gotten…stabbed,” Amy tried to say nonchalantly.

“Stabbed?” Jake repeated, panic clearly on his face.

“It was no big deal,” Amy insisted.

Just as Jake was about freak out more on Amy, Sophia smacked his arm, letting him know the judge was present. They all rose for the judge and then the appeal began. Jake turned back to Amy quickly. “We’re not finished talking about this,” he whispered.

She pointed toward the judge so Jake would pay attention. He turned around but not without shaking his head at her first.

Amy was sitting on pins and needles as the appeal began. So much was riding on this. She looked around and noted that everyone else seemed to be as tense as she was. They’d been here before. While they might have been confident the last time, there was no air of confidence now. Sophia seemed to be doing a good job.  Amy tried to watch the jurors to see how they were feeling, but she couldn’t tell. Eventually, there was a recess. Sophia arranged for a private room off the courtroom so Jake and Rosa could maintain their dignity even if they were prisoners.

Amy hadn’t been sitting for a minute, before Jake started questioning her. “So you got stabbed, huh?”

“Seriously?” Amy whined. “Shouldn’t we be talking about the case?”

Jake shook his head. “The case is out of our hands. Let’s talk about this.”

“Jake,” Amy tried.

“Let’s talk about how you kept telling me ‘Jake, keep your head down.’ ‘Jake, don’t make any bad jokes.’ ‘Jake, you have to get out of there alive.’ ‘Jake, you need to stay in your lane and not get hurt.’ Do you remember telling me all those things, Amy?” he asked her heatedly.

“Yes,” Amy sighed.

“And yet _you_ go out and get yourself stabbed,” he reminded her.

“Look, Jake,” Amy tried again. Jake just kept talking.

“I mean, you told me all that so that I could get out of jail and still be fine. But you know, I’m gonna be pretty pissed if I get out and you aren’t there because you did something reckless and got yourself hurt,” he argued.

Amy nodded, looking down at her feet. She looked over and Sophia and Rosa were sitting there silently, watching it all happen.

“How did this even happen?” he asked.

Amy’s face fell. “You don’t want to know.”

“Uh, yeah, I do.”

“Let me rephrase that,” Amy said calmly, “I don’t really want to tell you.”

Jake finally sat down in a chair he put in front of her chair. “We used to tell each other everything.”

Amy sighed. “It’s not because you went to jail, Jake. It’s because I was being idiotic.”

Jake sat back in his chair. “Ames, just tell me.”

Amy covered her face with her hands. Finally she dropped them and looked at Jake. “I was getting desperate. I thought we didn’t have enough evidence. So I tracked down one of the men who helped frame you.” She could see the horror setting in on Jake’s face. “I basically begged him to give me what I needed on Hawkins. He wouldn’t do it. We got into a fight. I was holding my own until he pulled out a knife and stabbed me.” Jake covered his mouth with his hands, clearly at a loss for words. “I didn’t want to tell you because I didn’t want you to be pissed at me.”

Amy could see tears in Jake’s eyes. “God, Amy, you can’t _do_ that!” he said surprisingly softly.

“Did you even have backup?” Rosa asked from the other side of the table. Amy looking down was apparently enough of an answer. “Come on, Santiago, you’re better than that.”

Amy nodded sadly. “How did you get to the hospital?” Sophia asked. “You didn’t drive yourself did you?”

She shook her head. “No, some guy found me in the alley and called an ambulance.”

Jake closed his eyes, shaking his head in disbelief. “Amy,” he said, taking her hands in his, “you have to promise me something.” She nodded for him to continue. “You have to promise me you’ll take care of yourself. If this appeal isn’t successful, it’ll be years before…” he trailed off. Amy squeezed his hands. “You said you would wait for me,” he reminded her. “I want that. I _need_ that. But that can’t happen if you don’t take care of yourself.”

Amy felt tears falling down her face. “I know,” she said, unable to get much more out. Jake pulled her in for a gentle hug. She could tell he was avoiding her wound.

A knock on the door signaled that the recess was over. Amy followed Sophia, Rosa, and Jake back into the courtroom. She walked onto her side of the railing. No one else was in the room yet. Amy leaned across the railing and held Jake’s face in her hands. “You’ve got this,” she assured him. “We’re gonna get you out of here one way or another,” she promised. He nodded with a sad smile on his face. As she was stepping back, her purse fell off her shoulder on their side of the railing. Amy leaned over to pick up her purse at the same time Jake did. She was close to reaching it when she felt a sharp pain in her side. She gasped loudly. Jake looked up at her in concern. Amy straightened up, hoping that would help. It didn’t. She was trying to catch her breath.

“Amy?” Jake asked, eyeing her carefully. Rosa and Sophia turned around to look at her.

“Amy, you’re bleeding,” Rosa yelled.

Jake leapt over the railing and was at Amy’s side in a second. She put her hand to her side and saw the blood coming through her blouse. “Ames, you reopened your wound,” Jake said in a scared voice. She started to sway on the spot and Jake grabbed her for support. The last things she processed before she passed out were Jake yelling her name and the realization of how good it felt to have Jake holding her again.

**

The beeping of the monitors told Amy where she was again. Opening her eyes was hard, so she just kept them closed. She flexed her fingers and toes, trying to stretch a little. Amy opened one eye slowly. A nurse was next to her bed, checking her vitals.

“Well it seems like someone is waking up,” she said cheerily. Amy slammed her eye shut again. She could still hear the nurse though. “She’s on a heavy dose of medication so she’ll probably be slow to wake,” Amy heard her telling someone else in the room. “If she’s somehow in any pain, there’s a button for that.”

Amy couldn’t hear who the nurse was talking to. She laid there drifting back and forth between sleep and being awake. Opening her eyes was still hard though. Amy didn’t know how long she’d been drifting, but eventually she heard a chair scraping the floor as it was being dragged somewhere. Gently, she felt a hand on her forehead, brushing the hair away. They were doing it repeatedly. Amy sighed contentedly, still laying there with her eyes closed. They still kept soothing her by running their hand along her hair.

Slowly, Amy opened her eyes, wanting to know who was with her. She blinked a few times, adjusting to the light before she could really see anything. Turning her head on her pillow, she saw the person sitting next to her bed. “Jake?” she asked disbelievingly.

He smiled at her with his signature Jake smile as he continued to run his hand through her hair. “Hey, Ames.”

She was confused. “I don’t understand. How are you here?” She lifted her hands up to rub her eyes. It had to be a dream. She rubbed her eyes almost violently, willing herself to wake up.

He grabbed her hands, pulling them from her eyes. “Don’t hurt yourself,” he chided. “I’m really here.”

Amy looked back at him. “How?”

“Well for one, you’ve been out for a while,” Jake said with a chuckle. “And two, we won. I’m free!”

Amy felt herself smile impossibly wide. “Seriously?”

Jake nodded happily. “Seriously. We won the appeal. Rosa and I are out of jail.”

Tears sprung to Amy’s eyes. She was thankful that for the first time in months they were happy tears. “You’re free?” Jake nodded, tears falling down his face as well. “How? Tell me how it happened.”

Jake held one of Amy’s hands. “Well, after we loaded you into an ambulance for leaving the hospital against medical advice,” he began.

Amy waved him off. “We already knew that. You can skip that part.”

Jake gave her a warning look before shaking his head and grinning again. “So, we were about to start the appeal back up when this guy who I guess works at the Nine-Nine came in. Peters?” he asked for confirmation. Amy nodded in acknowledgment. “So he comes in with this guy following him. Says he has someone to put on the stand. I guess the guy came to him. ”

“Who was it?”

“So apparently, the guy who called you an ambulance in the alley was actually one of Hawkins’s men. But he’s low level, doesn’t get super involved. He’s dirty though. So he, I guess, was already feeling the guilt when they set us up. And then when he saw you get stabbed, it was the breaking point. Sophia put him on the stand and he testified that Hawkins did everything, including other super shady stuff that wasn’t relevant. He brought evidence to back it up too.”

Amy gaped at Jake. “Seriously?”

Jake nodded excitedly. “Yep. And having one of Hawkins’s own men turn on her was enough to sway the jury and they cleared us.”

Amy laughed happily. “Oh my God, I can’t believe it!” she exclaimed. A devious grin crossed her face. “So I guess you could say that me getting stabbed _kinda_ saved the day.”

Jake glared at her as he shook his head. “I knew you were going to say that.” Amy laughed. “And that is _not_ how we’re labeling you getting stabbed.”

Amy shrugged. “I don’t know. Seems like a real game changer.”

Jake leaned down and kissed the hand he was holding. “You’re ridiculous, Santiago.”

“But you love me,” she said softly with a squeeze of his hand.

“So much,” he whispered. Jake stood up some, leaning over Amy’s bed. He bent down and kissed her softly. Amy picked up her free hand and laid it on the back of Jake’s head, returning the kiss. Slowly, Jake pulled away and sat back down in his chair, smiling at her. “You were the one who saved us, you know? Even if I don’t approve of all your methods,” he said with a knowing look, “You’re the one who really got us out.”

Amy shrugged, a smile on her face. “So what is the rest of the squad up to?” she asked.

Jake was playing with her hand in his. “I don’t know. I came straight here. I’m assuming they’re all at Shaw’s getting drunk.”

Amy laughed. “Yeah, that sounds about right.” She looked at Jake with a sympathetic smile. “You should go join them.”

Jake looked at her doubtfully. “Yeah, right. I’d much rather be here.”

“In a hospital?”

“With you,” Jake replied with a knowing look.

Amy returned a soft smile. “It’s not fair for you to say those things when I am stuck in this bed.”

Jake laughed. “Yeah, well you’re gonna be stuck in that bed for a while, missy, after the last stunt you pulled,” Jake said dramatically.

Amy rolled her eyes. “I’m so sorry that I wanted to support my boyfriend in his time of need.” Jake was about to reply but another visitor walked into the room. “Sophia!” Amy greeted. “Congrats on another successful appeal.”

Sophia laughed as she walked further into the room. “Thanks, I guess.” She looked at Amy critically. “How are you feeling?”

“I feel no pain,” Amy replied with a smile.

“She’s apparently on some really good meds,” Jake added with a laugh.

Amy shrugged. “Sophia, I just have to thank you.”

Sophia shook her head. “Please, it’s my job.”

“Yeah, but you didn’t have to take on this case when I came to you with probably a deranged look in my eye,” Amy reminded. “But you did. And you got them out of prison. And we will never forget it.”

“Well hopefully that means you’ll stop calling defense attorneys the devil,” Sophia offered.

Jake and Amy grimaced as they looked at each other. “That’s a tall order,” Jake joked.

They all shared a laugh. Sophia looked back at Amy. “So I’ll see you next Wednesday?”

“What’s next Wednesday?” Amy asked in confusion.

“The next LIL meeting.”

Amy chuckled and nodded. “Sure. I’ll be there. Ooh, maybe I’ll bring Rosa and she can share her experiences with us.” Jake gave Amy a doubtful look. “Or maybe she can just come and sit there silently.”

“Well I can’t stay, but I just wanted to make sure you were doing okay,” Sophia said, gesturing toward the door.

Amy nodded and squeezed Jake’s hand. “I’m doing better than I have been in a while.”

Jake stood up, turning to Sophia. “Thank you, truly, for everything you did for me and Rosa.”

Sophia nodded. “Of course.” Jake stepped toward her and wrapped her in a hug. After they stopped hugging, Sophia waved to them both. “I’ll see you.” She walked out of the room, leaving Jake and Amy alone again.

Amy chuckled to herself as Jake sat back down in his chair. “What?” he asked.

“So this is what a mature relationship feels like,” Amy wondered aloud, motioning between them. Jake looked at her with a confused expression. “Because I just watched you hug your ex-girlfriend and I felt _nothing_.”

Jake laughed, standing up to kiss her on her forehead before sitting down again. He shook his head at her. “Like there was ever concern.” He held her hand again, not letting it go for quite a while.

Later in the evening, Jake was slouched in his chair with his legs propped up on the side of Amy’s bed. He was trying to stifle a yawn but was failing.  “Jake, why don’t you go home?”

“I’m fine,” he said through a yawn.

Amy narrowed her eyes. “Babe, you haven’t slept in a real bed in months. Just go home.”

“Nah,” Jake brushed off. Amy stared at him, waiting for more. He looked at her with a serious expression on his face. “I’ve spent enough nights without you. I’m good here. Even if it’s a bit uncomfortable.”

Amy grabbed his hand, squeezing it tightly in hers. “Well that I get.” She scrutinized the size of her bed. “I think I can maybe scooch over and have some room for you.”

“Nope, that’s your bed. Not gonna hurt you in the night by rolling over and punching you in the side,” Jake reasoned. He looked at her earnestly. “Ames, I’m fine. This chair is still probably comfier than my cell bed.” Jake reached out and grabbed Amy’s hand as his eyes closed. “This is already better than the last three months.”

**

“Okay, tell me what to expect,” Jake urged. “Did you make any changes? Is there a new couch because you accidentally burned the other one?” Jake asked as he and Amy walked down the hall toward their apartment. Amy looked at him like he was crazy. “What? It’s possible. I’m sure you were angry when I got put in jail.”

“Why would I burn my own couch?”

“Because setting fires is a way to release anger?” Jake reasoned. “Or so Rosa once told me.”

Amy  stopped and laid her hand on Jake’s arm. “I promise, everything is the same.” Jake nodded in understanding. “Wait, were you hoping I burned the couch?”

“No,” Jake answered quickly. “It was just something I thought of.”

“Would you have burned the couch if I had been put in jail?” Amy wondered aloud.

“Hmm,” Jake replied. “That’s a good question. I honestly don’t know what I would have done.” He looked thoughtful for a second. “Well that’s something to think about.”

“That’s okay,” Amy said, moving further down the hall. “It’s never gonna happen so we don’t have to worry about that.”

“I don’t know, Ames,” Jake countered, “I also thought _I’d_ never go to prison.” Amy looked at Jake with a shocked expression. “Yeah, that was morbid. I’ll take that back. Neither of us will ever end up in prison again!” he exclaimed. They reached their front door. Jake took a deep breath. “Wow, it’s crazy how long it’s been since I was here.”

Amy leaned into Jake’s side, wrapping an arm around his waist. “Well, to be fair, you could have been here two days ago, you were just too stubborn.”

“I wasn’t being stubborn,” Jake argued. “If anything, I was making sure you didn’t do something dumb again to reopen your wound.”

“Mmhmm, sure,” Amy retorted.

“Hey!” They both turned to see Rosa walking down the hall toward them.

“Rosa!” Jake yelled. He dropped Amy’s bag and wrapped Rosa in a tight hug.

“Dude, what is my rule?” Rosa asked through clenched teeth.

“I don’t care about the no touchy rule. I’ve missed you, friend,” Jake replied, still hugging her. Jake finally released her when she smacked his arm. “So what are you doing here?”

“Well Amy texted me and told me you were coming home today. I thought I’d stop by and see how everything was going,” she explained.

Amy smiled. “You got here just in time.” She handed Jake her key. “I think you should do the honors.”

Jake grinned and stepped up to the door, unlocking it. Amy let Rosa go in ahead of her. They walked in and turned on the lights.

“Surprise!”

Jake and Rosa both took a step back. Amy briefly wondered if it was a bad idea to have a surprise party for people who just got out of jail. Getting spooked might be a concern. Quickly though, they both smiled and greeted the squad. Amy smiled too, closing the door behind her, happy the surprise remained intact.

Jake looked over at her. “Did you do this?”

Amy shrugged. “I might have.” He walked over and wrapped her in a hug.

Everyone was so happy to see them. Soon champagne bottles were being opened and everyone was chatting as if they hadn’t just all had the worst three months of their lives. It was wonderful to see everyone sitting around their apartment happily spending time together. It was especially great compared to how often they’d done so miserably trying to get their friends out of prison.

“Diaz, Peralta,” Captain Holt said, standing up in front of the whole squad, “I’d like to share some news with you. The first thing I did after your exoneration was to go directly to the Chief of Police at One Police Plaza and demand that you both be rehired.” Jake and Rosa looked at each other excitedly. “Of course, they said they would need to think about it.”

“You should not have paused there,” Jake advised with a glum look replacing his excited one.

“However,” Holt continued with a look in Jake’s direction, “I received word just moments ago that you both have been approved for rehire. I emailed them back and said I would be restoring you to my squad at the Nine-Nine. Congratulations!”

Jake whooped and Rosa fist pumped the air. Jake stood up and shook Holt’s hand. “Thank you so much, Sir. I was secretly worried about that.”

Holt nodded. “Anything for the Nine-Nine.”

“Well, I guess that means Michaels and Peters are leaving,” Gina speculated. “How sad is it that they didn’t even last two months?”

“Actually, some changes are coming,” Holt announced.

“Like?” Charles asked desperately.

“Well, one of them will be staying,” Holt confessed.

“Who?” Gina asked.

“If one of them is staying does that mean one of us is leaving?” Jake asked, panicked.

“Do Hitchcock and I get to stay?” Scully inquired. “Because if he goes, I go!” Everyone was looking around, completely paranoid. They were all shouting out questions.

Holt sighed and stood up in front of them again, lifting his hand to quiet them. “I had been hoping to make this announcement in a more formal matter, but alas,” he said dramatically. They were all staring him down. “Detective Peters will be staying on the squad. Detective Michaels will be transferring to the 72nd in 2 weeks’ time. Diaz, Peralta, I will be giving you two weeks to re-acclimate to the outside world before restarting.”

They nodded understandingly. “Wait, so how do we have an extra detective position?” Rosa asked.

“Because also in 2 weeks’ time, Detective Santiago will be assuming the position of sergeant,” Holt informed them. Amy felt stunned. She hadn’t thought about her promotion in a while. She’d been way too focused on their appeal.

“Really?” Amy asked. Jake wrapped his arm around her and was gently shaking her in his excitement.

“Yes,” Holt confirmed. “I’ve discussed it with Sergeant Jeffords and we believe that having a second sergeant at the Nine-Nine would be a good plan.”

“Yeah, Amy!” Charles yelled. They all cheered for her. Amy was shell shocked. She couldn’t believe it. In the course of three days, her boyfriend had been exonerated and she’d been promoted within her own precinct. Everything felt right. They all continued drinking, except for Gina of course, and celebrating the amazing news for all of them.

**

The morning before Amy was due to return to work, she sat down on the couch next to Jake. He turned from the TV and smiled at her briefly before cuddling her into him. Amy felt content. It had been so long since she and Jake had just relaxed on the couch together. Even during the two months he was out on bail, they didn’t do much relaxing. They were prepping for the trial. And even before that, Jake had been on edge after finding out the “awesome” lieutenant he was working for was dirty. So it had really been a long time. It just felt right again.

“Jake, can I ask you something?” she asked almost timidly.

He looked over at her. “Sure.”

“How are you doing?” she questioned.

Jake stared at her in confusion. “I’m good.”

“No, I mean since you got out. How are you doing?” she explained.

He nodded. “I’m good.”

Amy sighed and rolled her eyes. “Are you really? Because I’ve been talking to Rosa and she just seems mad. Like you can tell she’s glad to be out of prison, but she’s still so angry.” Jake opened his mouth to reply, but Amy kept going. “And I want you to know that if you’re angry, you can talk to me. I’m not going anywhere. You aren’t going to scare me off. If you want to talk about what it was like in there, I’m here to listen.” Jake nodded, sensing Amy wasn’t finished. “And if you want to yell about it, I’ll listen. And if you want to punch things, I’ll buy some boxing supplies and we’ll do that. I can handle it,” she promised. Jake laughed. “And if you want to smash things, I happen to know where you can get a relatively cheap set of plates that are great for smashing. I may have checked those out a few months back.” Jake smirked at her. “And even if you want to cry about it, I’ll hold you until you’re done crying. I’m not going anywhere. I just want you to be happy.”

Jake reached out and grabbed both of Amy’s hands in his. “Amy, I am happy. I’m not in prison anymore and that makes me happy. Being home with you, snuggled up on the couch makes me happy.” He sighed. “I mean, yeah, I’m mad that it happened at all. I’m mad that we got framed so easily. But I’m also happy it’s over. I’m happy that I still have my job to go back to. I mean, Rosa’s always been an angrier person than me. I could have been pissed about a lot of things in my life. Like my dad leaving or when I was in WITSEC. But it’s over. So I’m happy.” He pulled her closer by her hands. “I promise.” He kissed Amy gently. “But I promise you that if any of those urges come up, I’ll talk to you. I may take you up on the smashing plates thing. That just sounds fun.”

Amy laughed, leaning into him and kissing him again. “I love you, Jake Peralta.”

Jake tucked Amy into his side. “I love you, Amy Santiago.”

They curled back into each other, turning their attention back to the TV. Jake played with Amy’s hand and occasionally kissed the side of her head. He didn’t stop at the side of her head. He planted little kisses down her face to her jaw and then down her neck. When they were laying on the couch basically making out like teenagers, Amy felt like everything was right with the world. Having Jake in her arms, she knew for a fact that she’d have waited fifteen years for him to come back to her. She’d probably have waited forever. But thankfully, she didn’t have to wait.

**Author's Note:**

> I'd love to hear what you thought! I hope this helps some with the post-finale blues! 
> 
> Feel free to come chat with me on tumblr! I'm three-drink-amy!
> 
> Also, who's ready for season 5? I know I am!


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